Before you start

Slovenian tax number (davčna številka)
Passport and residence permit or registration certificate
Proof of a registered Slovenian address
A Slovenian phone number for authentication

Step-by-step

1
Get the tax number from FURS first
The davčna številka is issued by the Financial Administration and is required before an employer can pay you and before most banks will open an account. It is a short counter procedure with a passport and should be one of your first errands.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Register your address at the administrative unit
Residence registration produces the address record that banks and other institutions rely on. It also generates your EMŠO. Do it as soon as you have moved in.
In personWho: You
3
Choose a bank and open the account
NLB, NKBM, SKB, Intesa Sanpaolo Bank and Addiko all offer comparable retail products. Central Ljubljana branches are the best bet for an English-language appointment. Enrol in the app while you are in the branch.
In personWho: You
4
Use SEPA for euro-area payments
Slovenia has been in the euro area since 2007, so payments across the euro area are SEPA transfers at domestic-equivalent cost. Instant SEPA is widely supported.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Set up the Urbana card alongside the bank account
The Urbana city card pays for buses, the funicular, some parking and the bike share, and is topped up separately. It is the piece of infrastructure a new Ljubljana resident uses most and it takes ten minutes to obtain.
In personWho: You
6
Keep the bank's document copies current
Banks re-verify identity documents periodically and will restrict an account whose residence permit has expired on file. Send the renewal when you collect it.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Slovenian tax number
Passport and residence permit or registration certificate
Proof of registered address
Slovenian mobile number
Employment contract, where requested

Things most newcomers don’t know

The tax number precedes everything, including the salary.

The davčna številka is issued by the Financial Administration and is required before an employer can run payroll for you and before most banks will open a full account. It takes an hour to obtain with a passport. Foreign employees who defer it because it sounds like an end-of-year concern find their first salary payment held, which is entirely avoidable.

Source: Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia

Slovenian salaries look competitive in gross and considerably less so in net.

Slovenia levies employee social contributions of 22.1% on gross and then applies progressive income tax in five bands to a 50% top rate. There is a general allowance that helps lower earners substantially, but at the salary levels a relocating professional is likely to be offered, the effective total deduction is well above what the same person would face in Sofia, Budapest, Belgrade or Bucharest. Run the net calculation before comparing offers; the gross figure is genuinely misleading in this direction.

Source: Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia

The Urbana card is the city's real utility and it does more than the bus.

Urbana pays for LPP buses, the castle funicular, on-street parking in some zones and the BicikeLJ bike share, and the monthly pass at €37 covers unlimited bus travel. In a city of under 300,000 with no tram or metro, that single card plus a bicycle is the entire transport question. Getting one on arrival is a better use of an hour than almost anything else on a newcomer's list.

Source: LPP / Javni holding Ljubljana

Slovenia's small size means the banks are small, and international service reflects that.

This is a country of about two million people, and its banks are correspondingly modest institutions. Products are sound and digital service is decent, but the sort of specialist international, multi-currency or expatriate banking desk you would find in Vienna or Frankfurt is largely absent. For anything complex across borders, expect to use a specialist provider alongside the Slovenian account rather than through it.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Deferring the tax number and having your first salary payment held.
Comparing a Slovenian gross offer to a Bulgarian or Hungarian one without running the net.
Trying to open an account before registering your address.
Expecting specialist international banking services from a small domestic bank.
Letting the bank's copy of your residence permit expire.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.